Role of parents to end sexual harassment and assault

Children are typically thought of as victims of sexual misconduct. But children can be perpetrators too. In fact, in the USA 36 percent of the sex crimes against juveniles are perpetrated by other juveniles.

Lessons about appropriate conduct can matter for children’s behaviour during childhood, but the benefits of parental instruction extend beyond childhood. While young perpetrators do not necessarily continue perpetrating into adulthood, some do. Even those who start offending in adulthood might not have if they had internalized right and wrong at an earlier age. Parents can help create a world in which everyone respects sexual agency and gender equality.